Folded napkin and package



`lune 5, 1928. 1,672,658

G. A. SHAFFER ET AL FoLDED NAPKIN AND PACKAGE Filed April 27, 1925 2 sheets-Sheet 1 w N m C HA P RD Em F F m. Mm .SN m GF June 5, 1928.

1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 27,

Il tillll "xu f n@ ,rel m M Patented June 5, 1928.

UNITED STATES A 1,672,658 PATENT OFFICE;

GLENN A. SHAFFER AND FRANKLIN H. WIBTZ, OF GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN, AS- SIGNOBS TO FORT HOWARD PAPER COMPANY, OF GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN, A COR- POBATION 0F WISCONSIN.

Application led April 27, 1925. Serial No. 26,077.

The invention relates to folded paper napkins and package thereof, and has as an object the provision of a napkin folded in an ornamental manner such'as to provide an ornamental figure by means of the creases formed in folding, which ligure will be borne upon the unfolded na kin.

A further object o the invention is the provision of a napkin ornamented by creases forming a star-shaped figure.

A further object of the lnvention is thev ,provision of a package made up of napkins folded in accordance with the invention, or other folds producing a similar outline when folded, whereby the napkins can be delivered to the trade and reach the consumer in better condition than has previously been possible.

The application is led as a continuation in part of our application Serial No. 674,481, Cornucopia-folded paper napkins, filed November 13, 1923, and describes and claims the fold which may be produced by a machine forming the subject-matter of an application led by ourselves Dec. 31,1924, Ser. No. 759,060.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which 1 .Fig 1 is a plan View of the unfolded naprm;

Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are plan views respectively of successive stages in the folding of the napkin;

Fig. 6 is a pers ective view of a package of the folded nap s.

As shown in Fig. 1, the napkin 10 bears thereon creases 11-12, extending from each corner of the napkin and meeting at a point between the center and the periphery and equidistant from the corners, thus providing a four pointed star having its points at the corners of the napkin.

A vertical crease 13 and a horizontal crease 14 are also present, caused by the first two folds given the napkin as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. By virtue of the figure formed by the creases 11-12, thel said creases become a source of `ornamentation of the napkin instead of a necessary evil as has formerly been the case.

After the napkin has been folded upon itself in both directions, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, resulting in the creases 13-14, a fold is made from the lower left-hand corner 15 of Fig. 3, upon a line intersecting one of the edges of the square of folds as, for instance, the edge forming the crease 13, at a point 16 somewhat nearer the portion of the fold 17, where the center of the unfolded napkin occurs, than the raw edge 18 of the folded square, thus bringing the folded napkin into the form shown in Fi 4.

The napkin is next lfolded upon a like line from the corner 15, the line extending to the remaining opposite side of the square at the point 19, bringing the napkin to the form shown in Fig. 5. By virtue of the fact that the fold is made from the raw edge corner 15 of the square of Fig. 3, the star-shaped figure shown in Fig. 1 results.

Napkins have heretofore been folded in the form shown in Fig. 5 but we are not aware that they have ever been folded in this form in such a manner as to produce the ornamental figure which is the result of our invention. The form of napkin shown in Fig. 5 is eX- ceedingly difficult to package for shipment since the individual elements of the package are so narrow throughout a large portion of their length that the completed package lacks stability and moreover since a binding element which it is possible to put about the package tends to slip toward the narrow portion thereof. Further, a band placed about a column of the napkins, if of any width,

' will not have its ends meeting in a form convenient to secure them together.

To esca e these difficulties, the form of package s own in Fig. 6 has been devised wherein two columns 20-21, made up of the fold shown in Fig. 5, are compressed and placed point to butt and are provided with upper and lower caps 22-23, a band 24 being placed about the whole. Thus packaged it is found that the napkins will. retain their position and may be conveniently handled and packed, and reach the consumer in first-class condition without mutilation of the corners.

Minor changes may be made in the physical embodiment of the invention without departing from the spirit.

We claim:

1. The method of folding a rectangular napkin, which comprises machine folding the napkin into quarters with the outer corners of the napkin superimposed, machine folding the thus formed. rectangle upon lines radiating from the corner thereof formed by the superimposed corners of the napkin to produce a folded napkin of rectangular outline comprising two triangles havmg coincident bases and each having two fre edges, whereby the napkin, when unfolded, will be ornamented with a design of creases in the shape of a star having its points at the corners of the napkin.

2. A .machine-folded napkin comprising two individual triangles having coincident namens integral bases and two free ed es each, said folded structure produced by olding a reetangular sheet into quarters with the outer edges of the sheet superimposed, then folding the thus. formed rectangle u on linesl ner of the napkin.

GLENN A. SHAFFER. FRANKLIN H. WIRTZ.- 

